Yesterday, I sent a newsletter to our fan and donor base about Salami Avocetien’s extraordinary accomplishment as Benin’s first UCI Level 3 Coach. The story is nothing short of remarkable. Africa Rising Cycling opened the doors. Salami walked through them with support from the Benin Cycling Federation, the UCI, the US Embassy in Cotonou. So many people came together to make Salami’s dream a reality. But Salami did all the hard work! He’s wise beyond his years, with an unmatched work ethic and the ability to make friends wherever he goes.

Give me just a few minutes of your time… this is a must-read.

How Salami Got Here

As I was putting this newsletter together, covering a myriad of topics and great news about African cyclists around the world, I received a WhatsApp message from 21-year-old Salami Avocetien, a remarkable young coach in Benin. 

You’ve heard us talk about Salami or read about him before. He’s been on our podcast. I went to Benin in April to train him as a Directeur Sportif (DS) for Benin’s national team at this year’s Tour du Benin. He was outstanding, even while dealing with a “bit of malaria” during the race.

He’s special.

He sent me a copy of his UCI Level 3 Completion Certificate. This summer, he completed his Level 3 course in Switzerland and interned with the UCI. The experience was priceless. He’s one of only a handful of Level 3 Coaches on the African continent.

Did I mention he’s only 21? I met Salami when he was 16 during my first visit to Benin in January 2021. He spoke no English and had responded to a request from his school to the Benin Federation to help at a talent detection camp. He showed up with his computer and logged rider data as we tested riders. He kept showing up. 

He showed up when Adrien took over as National Coach and followed Adrien like a shadow.

He was a sponge. He learned everything we knew and taught him. He even learned English because “I had to communicate with you because your French is so bad!”

He spent two summers in Wyoming, working one-on-one with Jock.

He’s Jonathan’s coach, and Jonathan is going to the UCI World Champs this month!

After hearing his great news this morning, I asked Salami if I could celebrate his accomplishments in today’s newsletter and requested a quote from him.

This is what I received.

This is the full newsletter because Salami’s response summed up EXACTLY what Africa Rising Cycling does, who we help, and our total and complete “why.” 

Below is the English translation followed by his original text in French. If you read French, it will be even more powerful.

Be inspired; this is the work you’ve supported for almost two decades.

Kimberly

Salami’s Quote (Google English Translation)

“My experience in Switzerland was far more than just training; it was a true immersion into the world of elite cycling. I arrived feeling excited but also afraid that I might not measure up. I was quickly integrated into the coaching team and had the opportunity to work in diverse settings—including stints with a UCI Continental team, the track squad, and the mechanics crew, as well as UCI training camps in France and a role managing a camp for the UAE Cycling Federation. This variety taught me that elite-level cycling is about more than just watts or performance metrics. I learned the importance of individualization, goal setting, data analysis, mental preparation, and—above all—tailoring development to each specific athlete. I realized that a junior rider isn’t simply a miniature WorldTour pro; you have to support their development not only as an athlete but also as a person.

This experience also transformed my understanding of the coaching profession. Being a coach isn’t just about prescribing workouts. It means acting as an educator, a guide, a trusted confidant, and sometimes even a father figure to the athlete—all while maintaining the necessary professional boundaries and perspective.

One moment stands out in particular. After a 45-minute criterium, we had returned to our accommodation around 11:00 PM with no race scheduled for the next day, when one of my riders asked if he should still do a session on the rollers to “flush out the lactate” 😂😂😂. In that moment, I truly felt the weight of my responsibility: my role wasn’t just to assign a workout, but to explain the reasoning, ensure he understood it, and help him gradually become independent in his decision-making.

I am leaving Switzerland with a fresh perspective, stronger leadership skills, and a greater capacity for adaptability. Above all, however, I am returning with a responsibility: to use all this knowledge to help develop cycling in Benin, share these methods with coaches, and help standardize the level of the sport through training and refresher courses.

In the long term, my ambition is to see hundreds of Beninese riders competing in professional pelotons and to know that, in one way or another, I helped build that generation. Switzerland gave me knowledge and a new perspective on the profession; now, I want to turn that experience into something lasting for Beninese cycling.”

Salami’s Original French

Mon expérience en Suisse a été bien plus qu’une formation. elle a été une véritable immersion dans le monde du cyclisme de haut niveau. Je suis arrivé avec beaucoup d’excitation, mais aussi avec la peur de ne pas être à la hauteur. Très rapidement, j’ai été intégré au groupe des coachs et j’ai eu l’opportunité d’évoluer dans différents environnements avec un stage avec l’équipe continentale de l’UCI, l’équipe de piste, et de mécanique , les stages de l’UCI en France, mais aussi en tant que manager du stage de la Fédération cycliste des Émirats arabes unis.

Cette diversité m’a permis de comprendre que le haut niveau ne se résume pas aux watts ou aux performances. J’ai appris l’importance de l’individualisation, de la définition des objectifs, de l’analyse des données, de la préparation psychologique et surtout de l’adaptation du développement à chaque athlète. J’ai compris qu’un coureur junior n’est pas simplement un petit coureur WorldTour : il faut accompagner son développement sportif, mais aussi son développement personnel.

Cette expérience a également changé ma conception du métier de coach. Être coach, ce n’est pas seulement prescrire un entraînement. C’est être à la fois un éducateur, un guide, une personne de confiance et parfois presque une figure paternelle pour l’athlète, tout en sachant garder la responsabilité et la distance nécessaires.

Un moment m’a particulièrement marqué. Après un critérium de 45 minutes, alors que nous étions rentrés à l’hébergement vers 23 heures et qu’aucune course n’était prévue le lendemain, un de mes coureurs m’a demandé s’il devait encore faire du rouleau pour « éliminer le lactate »😂😂. À ce moment-là, j’ai vraiment ressenti le poids de ma responsabilité : mon rôle n’était pas seulement de lui donner une séance, mais de lui expliquer, de lui faire comprendre et de l’aider à devenir progressivement autonome dans ses décisions.

Je repars donc de Suisse avec une nouvelle conception des choses, davantage de leadership et une plus grande capacité d’adaptation. Mais surtout, je repars avec une responsabilité : utiliser toutes ces connaissances pour contribuer au développement du cyclisme au Bénin, partager ces méthodes avec les entraîneurs et participer à l’harmonisation du niveau de pratique grâce à la formation et au recyclage.

À long terme, mon ambition est de voir des centaines de coureurs béninois évoluer dans les pelotons professionnels et de savoir que, d’une manière ou d’une autre, j’ai contribué à construire cette génération. La Suisse m’a donné des connaissances et une nouvelle vision du métier ; maintenant, je veux transformer cette expérience en quelque chose de durable pour le cyclisme béninois.